Volleyball Cruises Past Rhode Island

TUCSON, Ariz. -
The 20th-ranked Santa Clara University volleyball team picked up its third straight victory with a convincing 3-0 win over Rhode Island Saturday morning at the Wildcat Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. The Broncos improve to 3-1 while dropping the Rams to 1-6 on the season.

Guarding against a let down after defeating the 10th-ranked Arizona Wildcats on Thursday night, SCU battled through a slow start and cruised to wins by scores of 30-20, 30-17 and 30-12.

Freshman Megan Pura made an impression in her first collegiate start, racking up a match-high 12 kills. Jac Heler added 10 kills while Kim McGiven entered the match in game three and registered five in the win. Nora Miller made her first collegiate appearance and picked up two kills, one service ace and one dig.

Seniors Becky BiniekKelli Sousa and Becky Potter played their steady games during the victory with Sousa dishing out 43 assists to go with her career-high four service errors. Potter posted a match-high 12 digs while Biniek recorded seven kills and a match-high five block assists.

As a team the Broncos hit .388 and limited Rhode Island to a .067 hitting percentage in the match. Six total team blocks for SCU to only one from URI also added to the match dominance.

The relatively easy match was a big help for head coach Jon Wallace who got to rest Toni Muratore for the match later on tonight against San Diego State. Muratore has been plagued by a nagging injury that has limited her practice time.

Friday night's game against San Diego State is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start. Following the SDSU game, the Broncos will conclude play in the Wildcat Invitational on Saturday morning with a 10 a.m. match against Miami.